Firebase vs Appwrite
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $0-$0/user/mo on Firebase.
Side-by-side
| Firebase | Appwrite (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $0-$0/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Firebase's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Firebase controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (BSD-3-Clause) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (Docker available) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 77 / 100 |
Why teams leave Firebase
Appwrite answers this by: Open-source alternatives that can replace Firebase.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Firebase at the midpoint price ($0/user/mo).
| Period | Firebase | Appwrite on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0 | $4.13 | $-4.13 |
| Yearly | $0 | $49.56 | $-49.56 |
| 3 years | $0 | $149 | $-149 |
Deploy Appwrite now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
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Common questions
Is Appwrite a good alternative to Firebase?
Appwrite is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Firebase with an ossreplace health score of 77/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the BSD-3-Clause license, versus Firebase's $0–0/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Appwrite than Firebase?
A 5-person team pays about $0/mo on Firebase. Self-hosting Appwrite on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $-149 less over three years (-Infinity% lower).
Is Appwrite hard to self-host?
Appwrite ships a Docker setup, so deployment is usually a single docker-compose command on a $4.13/mo VPS. You own the backups and updates, and there are no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Appwrite vs Firebase?
Yes. Because Appwrite runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Firebase, Firebase controls the hosting, storage, and access.